No telly for Paul Henry but plenty of wine

Since winding down his TV3 gig, Paul Henry says he doesn’t watch much TV and does not miss being on it at all.

Henry, 56, has enjoyed spending time on his farm in Paparoa on the Kaipara Harbour and watching his cattle get fat, in what he calls his ‘retirement’.

He is also enjoying his favourite pastime — drinking wine.

On Friday at Glengarry Wines Victoria Park, Henry launched his second vintage of Paul Henry Pinot Noir with Invivo, the brand famous for partnering with that other famous broadcaster Graham Norton.

Brand Henry is a hit. Glengarry’s server crashed trying to cope with the unprecedented demand for the first vintage after its release in November. The company says that they have never seen such traffic volumes on their website in such a short space of time.

“My last wine was world-class, but I wanted more Paul Henry in this wine, and it doesn’t disappoint,” Henry told Spy. “I hope people are enjoying the taste and not just buying it for the novelty factor.”

Henry ­— who hit the headlines last year with his infamous “titties” interview in the Weekend Herald — left yesterday for his favourite place in the world, Palm Springs.

The famous Californian desert city has captured Henry’s imagination in many ways, from the architecture, the famous history of Hollywood, to the local gay community.

“I’m living in a villa in the grounds of the hotel once owned by Doris Day.” said Henry. “I go down to my local bottle shop and harass the store owner every day to stock Invivo.”

His favourite bar is the Purple Room, which was the birthplace of the original Rat Pack.

“Palm Springs is wall-to-wall mid-century America and I love it there, it’s like a big time warp.”

Henry went on to acknowledge how the gay community has zhooshed up the city.

“The best thing about the large gay community is not only have they revitalised the place with restoring the architecture but also there are no crying babies to bother one — just the sounds of yapping lap dogs.”